I’ve never paid any attention to anything Pauline Hanson says, but I’m starting to pay some attention to what people say about her. It was the article on news.com today titled “Please explain Julia Gillard” by Tory Maguire that directed me on this new ‘thought trail’. The article is reproduced in full below, to save the more intelligent among us from having to click on a link that leads to news.com:
See what happens when you drop your politics to the lowest common denominator.
Julia Gillard’s botched attempt at populism this week with her jobs-for-Aussies-first pledge brought Pauline Hanson back out of the woodwork, firstly to claim vindication, and now to muse on a return to politics.
When Hanson muses on something, such as fleeing Australia for ever to live in the UK, it doesn’t always pan out, so her promise (threat) to return to public life should be taken with a grain of salt.
But such is her political logic, this week Hanson has both praised Gillard for finally seeing the light on foreign workers, and now insisted she will run again because of the lack of “representation” of Australians in public life.
Gillard is fighting fires on every conceivable front. Her 457 visa pronouncements this week were a blatant attempt to appeal to the cliched idea of “the western Sydney voter”.
It’s unlikely to have much political upside, but the downside for Gillard is with Hanson on her side she loses ground in all directions.
What an apt Christian name: Tory. It clearly doubles as a political expression. Pauline Hanson unofficially endorses a Labor policy therefore Julia Gillard is guilty of dropping politics to the lowest common denominator. Hanson is ugly therefore Gillard is ugly.
Shortly before Hanson announced her unofficial support for the Prime Minister, the 457 visa issue was put fairly and squarely under the media spotlight. The article “Coalition takes aim at Gillard staffer on 457 visa is an example”. It is not a news.com site, so feel free to visit it. Talk on 457 visas was the new ‘national debate’ and of course, the Prime Minister was being slammed. Then yesterday, this:
Julia Gillard received support today on one of her other policies, the 457 visas.
One Nation founder Pauline Hanson is backing the Prime Minister’s push to fill jobs vacancies with Australians before turning to foreign workers.
I believe this was staged.
The LNP might be pleased that Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor has had to spend the last 24 hours distancing the ALP from Hanson while the Murdoch media attempt to portray them as buddies.
Mr O’Connor said he found most of Ms Hanson’s views reprehensible.
“She’s irrelevant to the public debate,” he told Sky News on Wednesday.
“She, of course, only came into the public spotlight because she was a Liberal candidate.”
I smell a rat. A rat called Tony Abbott. Consider this:
Pauline Hanson is backing Tony Abbott, the man who helped kill off her political career, over Australia’s first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Ms Hanson, the other famous female redhead of Australian politics, said she’d put her grudges to the side and support the Opposition leader’s tilt for the top job.
“I won’t be voting for Julia Gillard PM.
“Australian people are sick and tired of the illegals coming here and being looked after when we can’t look after our own.”
Ms Hanson said she supported Mr Abbott for prime minister despite their history as foes.
Ms Hanson said she was not Mr Abbott’s best friend but he was a better alternative prime minister.
“Tony Abbott came after me, he was responsible for the slush fund against me,” Ms Hanson said.
“But you know what, I’ll back Tony Abbott and the Liberal Party.
“I’m the type of person who will not hold a grudge for the sake of holding a grudge.
Does anybody else small the same rat?
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